DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7, 9-13, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Seo et al., WO 2023/075831 (hereinafter Seo).
Regarding claims 1, 11, and 19, Seo discloses an electronic device [management device 100] comprising: a communication circuit [fig. 3: ref. 310]; memory storing one or more computer programs [fig. 3: ref. 330]; and one or more processors [fig. 3: ref. 340] communicatively coupled to the communication circuit, and the memory, wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to [paragraph 0044]: obtain installation data required for a first external electronic device to register at least one second external electronic device with a server [paragraph 0049], perform a first onboarding procedure for registering the first external electronic device with the server through the communication circuit [paragraph 0049], transmit the installation data to the first external electronic device through the communication circuit after performing the first onboarding procedure [paragraphs 0051-0053], display an installation guide for onboarding the at least one second external electronic device, based on the installation data [paragraphs 0051-0054], and receive an onboarding result indicating that the at least one second external electronic device has been onboarded by the first external electronic device from the server through the communication circuit [paragraph 0055].
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Seo discloses wherein the installation data comprises at least one of a serial number of the first external electronic device, a device identifier (ID) of each of the at least one second external electronic device, or an installation code comprising a security key used by the first external electronic device to onboard the at least one second external electronic device [paragraph 0051].
Regarding claims 3 and further regarding claim 12, Seo discloses a package identifier (ID) to identify a package comprising the first external electronic device and the at least one second external electronic device, a product model name of the package, a device identifier (ID) of the first external electronic device, a model name of the first external electronic device, a model code of each of the at least one second external electronic device, or a model name of each of the at least one second external electronic device [paragraph 0051].
Regarding claims 4 and 13, Seo discloses wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to receive at least some of the installation data from the server or the first external electronic device, based on at least one of the serial number or the package ID of the first external electronic device [paragraphs 0051-0052].
Regarding claim 7, Seo discloses wherein the installation guide comprises a message guiding a user operation of configuring the at least one second external electronic device as a setup mode so that the at least one second external electronic device is connected to the first external electronic device [paragraphs 0051-0054].
Regarding claim 9, 17, and 20, Seo discloses receiving the installation guide from the server, based on the installation data [paragraph 0051].
Regarding claims 10 and 18, Seo discloses performing a second onboarding procedure for registering the at least one second external electronic device with the server, based on the installation data [paragraphs 0051-0054].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 6, 8, and 14-16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kim et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2023/0035368, disclose a home appliance and operating method thereof.
Kim et al., KR 20230159207, disclose an electronic device for managing controlled device and method of operating the same.
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/EAW/
August 24, 2026
/ERIKA A WASHINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
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